Is Sunderland a city of the future?

I don't really see why Sunderland Station needs long stay parking. Where are people exactly meant to be going? Commuting to Newcastle...? It's Durham that needs the parking not Sunderland. Any car park for Sunderland should be outside of Sunderland for people going into Sunderland imo.


Sunderland is a secondary feeder station*, it's lucky it's getting any money spent on it. It doesn't have any important services bar a 5 a day Grand Central service and never will neither as Newcastle and Darlington are the principal stations in the North East then Middlesbrough and Durham are the level below with Sunderland the level below again and that won't change regardless to as much jumping up and down Sunderland wants to do as it's in the wrong place.

*according to DFT.

Sorry I’m not trying to justify if we need parking for the car park but Funding for it appears to have been linked with the station redevelopment so assume Network Rail or someone must have lobbied for it? There is train service to London of course albeit limited. Whether they get any new services is anyones guess - I know that there was more recent lobbying for Leamside line to be reopened.
Hopefully they’ve got the foresight to make the majority……if not all the parking spots with electrical charging points. There may be a logic in it afterall if they do this, as EV will be the predominant cars on the road in the next ten years

I’ve wondered this but would have thought most people will try and charge from home which is likely to be cheaper than in a car park.
 
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Sorry I’m not trying to justify if we need parking for the car park but Funding for it appears to have been linked with the station redevelopment so assume Network Rail or someone must have lobbied for it? There is train service to London of course albeit limited. Whether they get any new services is anyones guess - I know that there was more recent lobbying for Leamside line to be reopened.


I’ve wondered this but would have thought most people will try and charge from home which is likely to be cheaper than in a car park.

Ah dw I was just saying more as a general point. I can't even see the trains coming if the Leamside opened tbh as it means your going to add 20 minutes on at least for Newcastle and miss Durham in process. Not sure serving Sunderland would be worth it.

If they sorted the absolute mess out in Teesside with Stockton being totally in the wrong place and/or a new bridge across the water after Middlesbrough with a serious upgrade of the Durham Coast Line then it'd probably work.

Sunderland -> Hartlepool -> Middlesbrough / Stockton -> York -> Leeds -> Manchester would be a decent line and popular imo but let's be honest the North East won't ever get that and it would be more worth it than some of the cracker pot ideas flying around lately; Consett line, Cobalt and Metro Centre to Chester Le Street lines in particular.
 
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I don't really see why Sunderland Station needs long stay parking. Where are people exactly meant to be going? Commuting to Newcastle...? It's Durham that needs the parking not Sunderland. Any car park for Sunderland should be outside of Sunderland for people going into Sunderland imo.

I live in South Shields and have got the LNEr 5:45 to London in the past and enjoy getting the Grand Central too. Both Durham and Newcastle (although Newcastle do have parking by the Crowne Plaza) don’t have much parking (or east to get to parking by the station) so being able to get away from Sunderland without needing an early doors taxi (which often don’t turn up before Covid which has made things worse) would be handy if it is 24x7 and secure.
 
Shame they never attempted


Shame the spirit of Sunderland building never happened. Not sure what the logic of putting multi storey car parks around are? St.Mary’s is actually close to the station……..unless that is getting demolished?
There’s never really been that same ambition as those old proposed developments for the vaux or holmeside. They’ve just settled for whatever they could attract

You've just summed the redevelopment of Sunderland up in two sentences tbh
 
oh fuck not another arts hub and community centre🤬

we want shops man! cobblers, haberdashers and saddlers, confectioners selling quarters of midget gems and record stores where we can hear the latest pop music
 
oh fuck not another arts hub and community centre🤬

we want shops man! cobblers, haberdashers and saddlers, confectioners selling quarters of midget gems and record stores where we can hear the latest pop music
Worrabout Department Stores? We need Department Stores. None have closed in the last 10 years.
 

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